Theory of Knowledge Exhibition

Prompt 30. What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the

world?

Related theme: Knowledge and Knower

Word Count: 945

I chose this prompt for the exhibition because I value imagination as an important

component in the development of our world. Based on Britannica: "imagination is the

ability to think of new things" (Britannica, 2024), therefore in this exhibition I want to

explore the impact of imagination from different perspectives to increase understanding

of this concept. In this exhibition I will examine the role of imagination from the

perspectives of being a catalyst for scientific discovery, creating conceptual connections

and beliefs, and symbolic and metaphorical connections and associations.

Object 1: Lab experiment about free fall

Object 1. (Lab experiment about free fall) picture taken by me

This object is a laboratory work done by me to determine gravity through an

experiment I did in my 11th grade physics class in 2024. In the experiment, in order to

determine gravity, I used a well-established formula for gravity as well as the

experimental method of tossing a ball from different heights.

This lab work was one example of how using real world data confirms already

established hypotheses. However, this object is interesting for this TOK exhibition

because it specifically demonstrates how the human imagination forms hypotheses

based on real world paradigms, and shows how the imagination can transform existing

pieces of knowledge to create new knowledge and ultimately solve more complex

human problems.

The basic knowledge base in this experiment comes from already confirmed and

relatively simple theories in physics: Height is intuitively the vertical length from point

A to point B, and time is an a priori undefined quantity. However, this knowledge will

not be sufficient to solve more complex problems, such as determining gravity in an

experiment, and this is the point at which imagination begins to play an important role.

Imagination in the experiment led us to understand that, in addition to height and time,

there is some kind of force that made the ball fall to the ground. It was also observed

experimentally that the ball fell with acceleration. Already having certain knowledge

about acceleration, time, altitude and speed, it was imagination that allowed us to put

together the puzzle and discover the concept of gravity. Using the formula:

"S=0.5at^2+at" imagination allowed us to understand that a (acceleration) will be

precisely gravity.
 This example shows that imagination can combine knowledge more effectively and

create new knowledge that is impossible otherwise.

Word count: 287

Object 2: Tarot cards

Object 2. (Tarot cards) picture taken by me

These tarot cards are my friend’s thing, with the help of which we told fortunes on

various topics. Tarot – is cards for divination, whereas each combination of cards has its

own made-up meaning regarding different themes.

 This object is interesting for this TOK exhibition, for the reason that all layouts and

even individual cards are a product of a person’s imagination, which in the future forms

conceptual knowledge about various topics, based on prejudices and assumptions. At

first glance, each layout is a banal random combination of cards, which does not

represent anything special without human interpretation. However, how these

alignments have been modified into various prejudices and abstract knowledge that this

is the point at which imagination plays an important role.

For example, the “Celtic Cross” layout is used to understand some situation or task,

and consists of 4 cards. Each card has its own purpose: the first card covers the

situation, the second lists it, the third card shows factors and the fourth shows future

development. All map data and all possible layout data are a product of human

interpretation based only on imagination.

Tarot cards are an example of emphasizing aspects of human nature such as

recognizing patterns, interpreting them and, accordingly, creating conceptual

connections and conclusions. Creating these concepts and knowledge with the help of

imagination allows a person to understand the world around us, even if there is no

scientific explanation for something.

Thus, from the point of view of this object, imagination plays a key role in the

interpretation of various life patterns, the interpretation of seemingly random

information and the creation of conceptual connections, and accordingly the creation of

new knowledge regarding abstract concepts.

Word count: 281

Object 3: Burj Al-Arab small model

Object 2. (Burj Al Arab model) picture taken by me

This object is a model of the famous hotel in Dubai Burj Al Arab, which is located in

the United Arab Emirates. This object is closely related to me, as it is one of the first

souvenirs I brought from the UAE after our family trip to the country. I associate this

object with the beauty of the architecture and the UAE lifestyle, which is ingrained in
me as an archetype of tranquility and relaxation. Burj Al Arab has been one of the most

luxurious hotels since 1999, and was architected by Tom Wright. (Teichmann, 2023).

This object is interesting for the TOK exhibition, as it transilluminates the influence of

the imagination on the creation of knowledge about the symbolism of the United Arab

Emirates and the cultural heritage of the country. The archetype of the Burj Al Arab was

at first conceptually the imagination of the architect, who wanted to convey knowledge

about the economic and cultural state of the UAE through the building. For example,

the architect's imagination led to the fact that the shape of the hotel resembles a sail,

which demonstrates to the world the knowledge that the United Arab Emirates is a part

of the world where maritime tourism is predominant. The same can be said about the

imagination of the architect of the structure, who created a hotel in the style of

modernism, bringing to the audience the knowledge that the UAE is a modern country

with a bias towards modern architecture. Thus, we can say that imagination can lead to

the creation of knowledge in terms of symbolism and metaphorism, and this figure is a

prism through which we can implicitly draw knowledge about the economic and

cultural side of the UAE.

Word count: 287

References

Britannica Dictionary (2024). “Imagination Definition & Meaning". Britannica.com.

https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/imagination
Teichmann, A. (2023, Dec 14). “Burj al-Arab”: Britannica.com.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Burj-Al-Arab